Ms. Zhang Guifang Sentenced to Prison

Name: Zhang Guifang
Gender: Female
Age: 60s
Address: Unknown
Occupation: Unknown
Date of Most Recent Arrest: February 24th, 2011
Most Recent Place of Detention: Harbin Women's Prison
City: Daqing
Province: Heilongjiang
Persecution Suffered: Beatings, imprisonment, physical restraint, home ransacked, interrogation, detention

Daqing City Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Zhang Guifang, in her 60s, was sentenced to three years in prison at the end of 2011. She was taken to the Harbin Women's Prison on January 13th, 2012, and is currently in the prison hospital.

Ms. Zhang was followed and arrested on the afternoon of February 24th, 2011. She was beaten by the officers and taken to the Daqing Detention Centre that same night. She went on a hunger strike. One day she fell down and lost consciousness. She was taken to the Daqing People's Hospital for emergency treatment. She was diagnosed with a stroke and later released on medical parole pending trial. The police harassed her on October 5th.

At the end of 2011, Ranghulu District Court tried Ms. Zhang and sentenced her to three years in prison, starting on December 11th.

On January 13th, 2012, Ms. Zhang was taken away from the home of her relative and taken to the Harbin Women's Prison. A physical exam showed that she had had a stroke and a heart attack. Ms. Zhang is currently in the prison hospital.

Beaten by Police Officers

Ms. Zhang Guifang and Ms. Yang Zhanli from Daqing City were out walking on Sixin Road in the Ranghulu District on the afternoon of February 24th, 2011, when two cars drove up from behind and blocked their way. Six men jumped out of the cars, grabbed the two elderly women, and dragged them toward the cars. The women struggled, but the perpetrators shoved them into the cars and took them to the Ranghulu Police Sub-Bureau, where they claimed that someone had reported them. They searched the women and found Falun Gong DVDs and brochures.

The police interrogated the women separately. They learned Ms. Yang's home address and found Ms. Zhang's name from her mobile phone's voice mail recording. They then searched online and got Ms. Zhang's home address.

The police pried open the door of Ms. Zhang's home around 9:00 p.m. without presenting any documentation. They ransacked her home and confiscated many personal belongings.

The police resumed their interrogations. Several officers took turns interrogating Ms. Zhang, but did not get what they wanted. One officer started verbally abusing her and handcuffed her to a tiger bench¹, but they still did not get any information from her. One officer attempted to take Ms. Zhang's photo and get her fingerprints, but she refused to cooperate, and he slapped her face.

The officer slapped Ms. Zhang in the face more than ten times. She became dizzy, saw stars, and her head was buzzing. He then kicked her legs and she almost fell. Her interrogators stomped on her feet until they were swollen. They bent her fingers backwards, and, even today, Ms. Zhang's hand is still injured and hurts.

The police took Ms. Zhang and Ms. Yang to the Daqing Detention Centre that same night. Ms. Zhang was held in the detention centre for more than 40 days. The previous beatings and torture left her legs in great pain, and she had difficulty walking. She still has headaches.

Harbin Women's Prison:

Fang Genbao, warden: +86-13351911299 (Mobile), +86-451-86639099
Shao Jianmin, deputy warden: +86-13503685048 (Mobile), +86-451-86618177
Bao Rui, deputy warden: +86-13303600660(Mobile),, +86-451-86639066

Earlier reports:

“Officers from the Ranghulu District, Daqing City, Heilongjiang Province, Arrest and Brutally Abuse Two Elderly Falun Gong Practitioners” (http://www.clearwisdom.net/html/articles/2011/5/5/124951.html)

Note

1. "Tiger Bench": Prisoners are forced to sit on a small iron bench that is approximately 20 cm (6 inches) tall with their knees tied together. With their hands tied behind their backs or sometimes placed on their knees, they are forced to sit straight up and look straight ahead without movement for long periods of time.

Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2012/1/25/252325.html